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Facebook expands mid-video ads to 21 more countries
Facebook is bringing Ad Breaks (the ads you see in the middle of videos on the platform) to 21 more countries, with support for five more languages. Alongside the global rollout of Facebook Watch, Ad Breaks expanded beyond the US last month to the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Facebook is placing autoplay video ads inside Messenger
Facebook previously admitted that it's running out of places for ads in the News Feed, which doesn't sound good for a company making billions of dollars from them. To solve that issue, the social network turned to its other apps and properties -- last year, for instance, it started testing static ads within Messenger. Now, 1 Hacker Way is taking things a step further by putting video ads inside its chat application, which will even start playing as you scroll. The company told Quartz that the new ad category will start appearing within its chat app for a small set set of users on Monday, June 25th.
YouTube will do away with unskippable 30-second ads next year
If you're not paying for YouTube Red, you're likely used to the many different types of advertising the video service features. But next year, one of the more irritating formats will be going away. YouTube says that it'll stop supporting "unskippable" 30-second pre-video advertisements in favor of shorter formats. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the change with this statement: "We're committed to providing a better ads experience for users online. As part of that, we've decided to stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads as of 2018 and focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers."
Large-scale ad fraud ring is stealing millions of dollars a day
Security firm White Ops says it has discovered an ad fraud scheme raking in up to $3 million per day, making it the largest such operation ever. Called Methbot, because of drug references in the code, it tricks ad networks into playing videos on fake websites, which are in turn "watched" by bots that simulate real users. The networks then pay the scammers, reportedly located in Russia, effectively flushing advertisers' and publishers' money down the toilet.
Instagram introduces 60-second video ads
Instagram's toolset is beginning to diverge for users and advertisers. Since September businesses have been able to upload 30-second video ads -- double the length available to regular users -- and starting this week that limit is being increased to a minute. Warner Bros. and T-Mobile are among the first brands to utilize the extra time, injecting extended film trailers and Drake-centric Superbowl ads into people's feeds. Neither are particularly innovative, but it's notable that the extra time makes them feel more like traditional advertising and less like shareable, social snippets.
Get ready to start seeing video ads in your Instagram feed
If people weren't too happy with the first batch of sponsored posts by Instagram, those temper tantrums might reach a new level soon. According to Adweek, the Facebook-owned imaging service is now rolling out video ads to users' feeds, having been quietly testing them for the past six months. So, starting today, don't be surprised to unexpectedly run into a random 15-second video while you're trying to find a picture of the next great brunch. As it stands, Adweek points out that Instagram is pushing motion ads from Activision, Banana Republic, CW and Lancome, but chances are you'll start seeing others from more companies as time goes on. In the meantime, head on past the break to check out what you can expect -- because you're dying to know.
Video ads are coming to your Twitter feed, too
By now, you've likely scrolled past an auto-playing video advertisement in your Facebook feed. Mr. Zuckerberg's outfit has been placing those motion ads for sometime now, and it appears that Twitter is looking to do the same. Promoted Video is just that, but instead of adopting the other social network's nuisance, the 140-character option will allow users to tap play before the content begins. Thanks to the embedded Twitter Video Card that's been in testing since the spring, those moving ads are nestled into a user's timeline and can be viewed from there. While the ads are currently in beta, we'd surmise it's only a matter of time before they show up in your timeline on the regular.
Facebook reportedly launching 15-second autoplaying ads this summer, taking over the space around your news feed
According to Ad Age's unnamed sources, Facebook is preparing to launch an invasive-sounding ad program this summer through its news feed. Alongside the left and right spaces outside of the news feed, the company is reportedly planning four 15-second autoplay video ads that'll target women over 30, women under 30, men over 30, and men under 30 (so, uh, expect lots of super general advertisers we'd guess -- toilet paper and Coca-Cola, for example). While potentially invasive, the ads are also potentially extremely lucrative; Facebook is apparently seeking near $1 million per day, per advertiser. That's a cool $4 million (roughly) per day, with the potential risk of pushing away the billions of people enabling such an incredibly high ad rate. Facebook's had a strange history with advertising, occasionally amending rules that angered the social network's users (such as targeting marketing based on browsing history). The California-based internet company also outright paused its mobile ad network program last December, citing internal prioritization of other products. As you might've guessed, Facebook reps declined to comment on this report, so it's probably best to reserve your outrage until there's some solid confirmation.
Microsoft and MediaCart prepping self-checkout carts, with RFID, video and grocery lists for good measure
We've heard plenty of these initiatives before, but with the likes of Microsoft pushing the tech, it might not be too long before we're all pushing a super-connected shopping cart down the aisle. Microsoft's aQuantive acquisition last year has the company looking to new ad venues, and apparently shopping carts are one of those. Microsoft has been working with a company called MediaCart which builds a cart-mounted computer that helps consumers navigate the store, and then checks them out when they're done. Microsoft wants to bring video ads into the mix, and the companies will start testing out the carts in ShopRite markets in the second half of 2008. Shoppers can bring their list to the store with a swipe of their loyalty card, and RFID tracks their movements around the store to pinpoint advertisements and other useful information. That's a whole lot of tech coming soon to a bum near you.
